The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-02-16
Selected storm.
Asked Her by Wire.

Ours is responsible calling" said
a Western Union telegraph operator
yesterday, during conversation over
midnight lunch. " A very slight mis-
take on the part of telegrapher is
likely to cause great deal of mischief.
We get hold of great many secrets,
but we never tell them, and our work
ing is so purely mechanical that we soon
forget all about them. Considering
the great number of messages which we
handle every day, it is surprising that
so few blunders are made"
How did you happen to enter the
business?" asked a reporter.
A short silence ensued, showing I'M
willingness to answer the question.
1t is long story" said the opera
tor. 81 have never told it before. /
never think of my first experience as a
telegraph operator without feeling of
horror at the thought of what might
have happened if-but l won't antici-
pate, and will tell the story as it hap
pened
1t was six years ago. / was then a
clerk in country town in Wisconsin
called Bolton. The place was without
railroad or telegraphic connection with
the outside world until an enterprising
lawyer in neighboring city built a
private telegraph line connecting Boil
ton with several of the towns around it.
The line was not built as money-mak-
ing scheme, but soon received fair
share of local and through business.
Its completion TO Bolton was hailed by
the citizens with great deal of enthu-
siasm. | was selected as the operator,
as the store in which l clerked was the
most public location in the place, and,
in anticipation of the completion of the
line, l had previously spent some time
in learning the alphabet. In a short
time the line was put in running order.
A small book of instructions came with
the instrument, and for awhile | would
practice several hours every night after
the store had closed. There were sew
eral beginners on the line, with whom
soon struck up wire acquaintance. |
was dull and somewhat awkward at
first, however, and voted a nuisance by
the more experienced operators. Only
one, young lady clerk in a store at
Casetown, some distance down the line,
had any patience with me. She will
ingly practised with me every evening,
| L
grew proficient at the use of the KEY.
Va, as | always called my instructor,
was a lively talker, and we had great
talks over the wire, often continuing
our conversations until late at night.
We had never seen each other, yet we
soon became very well acquainted, and
after few months began to hold con-
versations decidedly lover-like in their
character, telegraphing so fast that
none of the other operators on the line
could read what we said. Her call was
| Va and mine was D-i, but it was I'M
necessary for us to use our calls, so ac-
customed did we become to each others
touch upon the telegraphic key. Those
were pleasant days, | can tell you, for
at least one clerk in country store.
Zone night va told me that she had
been offered position as operator on a
new railroad that was in course of
construction through Casetown. The
thought of her quitting had never en-
| tered my head before, and knew by
| the shock her information gave me
that l was head over heels in love with
her. 1t made me very nervous to
think of her laughing and joking with
other operators on another line. A few
days later l resolved to tell her all by
telegraph. To be sure that none of the
other operators were listening at their
instruments called each office on the
line, but received no answer. | then
called up Va, and she answered i'm
mediately. Now was my chance. In
poured out the impetuous longing that
she would not 90 away, and told her
that life would not be worth living if |
could not talk to her. AT first she
laughed at me, but as ! grew serious
her answers came slower and were
more carefully worded. In the midst
of an impassioned declaration of love
the circuit was opened, and clearly and
distinctly over the wire came the
words:
"Give us a rest, Gully. That's about
enough of that for tonight"
1.-The clerk in the Denton post-office
who had an instrument in his charge,
had been listening to all our talk, and
leaving his key open, went home for
the night. You may believe l felt
angry at him, and if he had been
within reach one or the other of us
would have received sound thrash
ing. never would touch telegraphic
key on that line again. Nothing could
induce me to 90 near it. In few
days l learned that my Va had gone to
a distant town, | didn't hear where,
and heard nothing from her.
A few months went by and found
me in Dakota, filling railroad tele-
graph position on the Northern Pacific
| was so sober and melancholy that my
associate dubbed me the parson," and
| fully nerited the sobriquet. | never
forgot the little telegraph girl, but had
written several times to her old home
in the hope of getting some word from
her. My letters were all returned by
the postmaster with the words, in red
ink, in one corner, Address unknown.
81 saved money, but after a few
years my health gave way, and my
physician directed me to go to Florida
Another year and l had apparently re-
covered. The doctor said | was al
right. He gave my malady some Ions
Latin name, but no one beside myself
knew that my unsatislied longing was
the main cause of my lack of health
| started to return to my Northern
han,o A TaffacSAn Inpotion I hol n